[Sat 28th Oct 2017] London Anarchist Bookfair (London)
- Thread starter Kate Sharpley
- Start date
ska invita
back on the other side
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Half of them or more I've never heard of
TopCat
Putin fanboy
Class War put out some comment but I think via face book.
Class War have come out on the side of the trans activists. I understand why but I think it’s a mistake for any organisation with class politics at the forefront to start going down these divisive routes.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Yeh class war have always been unifiers in the past
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Laughing stock
Brighton Anti Raids is certainly defunct.
bimble
floofy
This bookfair debacle is just a microcosm of what’s happening in ‘the wider world’ isn’t it ? Certainly not the start of anything new.
Well the eternal hope is to build a bottom up movement to oppose capital. So I’m perplexed at these fringe of the fringe manoeuvres.
But not surprised.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
For the left and the anarchist scene the fringe is centre stage
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
As are many of the 'groups' that have signed it I suspect. Or at best a few people.
Fozzie Bear
Well-Known Member
London ABC would seem to be inactive too: Update September 2017 | London Anarchist Black Cross
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ska invita
back on the other side
Im not sure this brushing aside of the 'critics' is useful even if it feels good. Its out there and a sufficient number of people feel that way to make it an issue, including a raft of people who don't get to sign statements.
And there’s an even more significant amount of people who are sick to the back teeth of it, who are being welcomed into the ‘alt’ right as a backlash against it. I’d say that is more worthy of our attention.
TopCat
Putin fanboy
Anarchists tend to just represent themselves traditionally. Signing up to a statement at a moments notice on behalf of a "group" is designed to add weight which is worth looking at if the group is defunct or has one member.
We’re being crushed, and a group of people calling themselves the left are running about calling each other transphobes.
Fozzie Bear
Well-Known Member
I think it’s certainly worth noting that Brighton Solfed and Sisters Uncut are very active.
It is a bit unethical to sign up to a statement like that if you’re not anarchists (Salvage), or have yourself broken one of the demands of the letter (the guy who photographed Jon Active) or are signing as a group which is defunct.
This is a separate issue from the criticisms themselves, but using an open letter is a tactic that the signatories have adopted, so it is reasonable to discuss whether or not it lends weight to what they are saying.
And it’s a mixed bag.
ska invita
back on the other side
i agree to an extent...you could go further than that even and talk about some of the individuals in certain groups, and get quite personal in denouncing and dismissing them...ultimately though there is a significant amount of dissatisfaction and it includes majoroties at freedom, cw, 56a, hydra, plus loads of others. I take your point top cat, people should sign as individuals, with organisations in brackets. Ultimately we know there is real criticism out there from a good number of real people and it will need addressing one day if the london A book fair comes back, and by existing other bookfairs.
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
The criticism of this wider issues this raises have been knocking about for ages, and to me it's quite clear that the Bookfair has addressed them in the way it's run the event.
The conflict is the way the Bookfair Collective have chosen to do this (which to my mind is entirely reasonable, pragmatic, and politically acceptable) is not the way some people want it done (and I can't see any workable suggestions that these people have made as to how to exactly implement a 'safer spaces'/banning things policy on such a huge scale).
As has been pointed out it couldn't be done at the AFem event a few years ago which was much smaller, much more consistent politically, and less open to the public.
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Was a bit miffed to see them on there at all , given their lack of support or interest in anti fascist prisoners.
Is the alt-right a growing thing among the working classes? My understanding (and the people I've met who're into it) is that it's a middle class phenomenon - a sort of mirror of the liberal left.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
What, backwards? The illiberal right are often to be found in the tory party, you don't need to look much further right for their beginning.
An example would be Tommy Robinson now hitting a much wider audience. I see him shared on social media by people who aren’t fash, I hear him mentioned in the pub. Unlike the 57 varieties of signatory we see above.
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